1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an installation for finishing window frames, that is to say for fitting out and assembling together initially bare fixed and opening frames.
2. Description of the Prior Art
French patent application No 88 16320 filed 12 December 1988 describes an installation for finishing opening window frames enabling the manufacture of opening window frames fitted out with their hardware, seals, glazing units and beading and ready to be mounted on the fixed frame of a window or French window.
With relatively large cross-section frames made from wood or from plastics materials, especially from PVC, as is the case in the Federal German Republic in particular, it is standard practice to work on the fixed frame and the opening frame simultaneously and in parallel, to fit them out with their hardware and seals and to assemble them together before fitting the glazing unit(s) and carrying out the subsequent operations, in particular the fitting of the beading.
Because the upright cross-sections are much larger than those of the uprights of window frames as usually employed in France, for example, the arrangement of the seal and the glazing unit are also somewhat different.
The different arrangements are schematically represented in FIGS. 1A through 1D which are cross-sections through one upright of an equipped fixed and/or opening window frame; to be more precise:
FIG. 1A is a schematic representation of a window frame, preferably wooden, the opening frame of which is fitted out with two external seals,
FIGS. 1B and 1C are schematic representations of an opening window frame, preferably wooden, fitted out with spacer(s), glazing unit seals, glazing unit and beading,
FIG. 1D is a schematic representation of a window frame, preferably of PVC, fitted out with an external seal on the opening frame and an external seal on the fixed frame.
FIG. 1A shows an arrangement with twin external seals on the opening frame intended in particular for wooden window frames. It is usual practice to provide only one external seal on the opening frame. The fitting of two external seals to the opening frame O makes it possible to form a larger decompression chamber and thus to obtain a better seal.
FIG. 1D shows another arrangement, specifically intended for PVC frames and also enabling the creation of a large decompression chamber. In this case there are also two seals but one is an external seal on the opening frame O and the other is an internal seal on the fixed frame D.
Another different arrangement resulting from differences between French and German practice should also be noted. In the case of a single central external seal on an opening or fixed frame in the Federal German Republic the seal is placed outside the ironmongery whereas in France the seal is fitted between the hardware and the overlap.
With relatively small opening frame cross-sections, such as are usually employed in France, for example, the glazing unit is fitted by fitting a flexible glazing unit seal, a flexible beading seal and beading. These seals are able to accommodate any play due to warping.
For larger cross-section opening frames, however, such as are generally used in the Federal German Republic, for example, the deformation play is much greater and it is necessary to associate with the flexible seal one or more non-compressible spacers (or wedges). Two typical arrangements resulting from this fact are schematically represented in FIGS. 1B and 1C.
In FIG. 1B the two non-compressible spacers are fitted at the edges of the rebate of the opening frame O and of the beading P. The remaining space between the glazing unit and the rebate and the beading P is filled by the seal in the usual way.
In FIG. 1C a single spacer is fitted at the back of the rebate of the opening frame O and the remaining space between the glazing unit, the rebate and the beading P is filled by the seal.
Until now the various operations involved in finishing opening and fixed frames have been carried out manually at separate workstations, which leads to high production costs because of the long fabrication times inherent to the manual way in which the operations are carried out. Also, the finishing work is obviously dependent on the dexterity and the conscientiousness of the operator, which can lead to prejudicial variations in the quality of the work. What is more, any modification to this traditional type of manufacture:
increases the number of workstations if an accessory or the modifications affect one type of opening or fixed frame,
result in dead or down times, principally on changing the product type, due to the necessity to arrange supplies, working templates, etc,
in the worst case, require modification to the layout of the workstations for different designs or where more numerous tasks are to be executed.
An object of the invention is to remedy these disadvantages by the use of an installation for finishing window frames which is as automated as possible so as to reduce as much as possible the manual operations and manipulations which are prejudicial to production costs.